


You Mean Forever

by HonestlyVictore



Series: Forever Free [1]
Category: No Fandom
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern with Magic, Demons, Fae & Fairies, I Wrote This Instead of Sleeping, Love, Magic, Multi, Original Character(s), POV Third Person, Past Character Death, Plot Twists, Romance, Witches
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-12-18
Updated: 2020-12-25
Packaged: 2021-03-10 21:21:12
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 8,469
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28143774
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/HonestlyVictore/pseuds/HonestlyVictore
Summary: 22-year-old Marceline Grey is the resident "Doctor" in Oregon. She's lived there her entire life. After choosing not to go to college and coming out as bisexual, her parents were less than thrilled and not exactly supportive. When she left home at the age of 18, her sister took her in. first year or so, she had no one else but Lilith. Then the night she opened her shop and practicslly second home three years ago she found someone to love as her own. Then three years after that she ran (quite literally) into a mismatched group of best friends who happily accepted her and her family. What could possibly go wrong yeah?
Relationships: Original Character & Original Character, Original Character(s)/Original Character(s), Original Female Character/Original Female Character, Original Female Character/Original Male Character, Original Male Character/Original Male Character
Series: Forever Free [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2061762





	1. Seeing Quintuple

**_8/9/2020_ **

Setting down her journal and putting the cap on her pen, Marceline Grey stands up from her bed and stretches. Pulling on her boots Marceline leaves her small cottage on the outskirts of Vernonia. A skinny stone path leads into town where her shop is, where she sells dried herbs, potions, oils of all types, and jar spells. She knows everyone in town and everyone in town knows her. This place is her home, where she is surrounded by fellow witches, faeries, vampires, and other creatures.

**_BBZT BBZT BZZZZZZZT_ **

"Hello?" Marceline answers her phone.

" _ Is this Marceline Grey? _ " a man's voice responds

"Yes, it is, May I ask who is calling?" Suppressing a yawn, Marceline unlocks the door to her shop and flicks the light switch. Setting her bag down, her heart pauses for half a second.

"Jackson River, I work for an investigative branch in the Oregon fantasy law enforcement. We have received reports of you crossing the barrier to the human world. Which I'm sure you know is highly illegal Ma'am"

Wincing, Marceline flips the "closed" sign to "open". "Do you have any evidence in favor of these claims Mr.River?"

"Nothing concrete. However, I'd like to  _ interview  _ you next week. Tuesday, 7 am work for you, Ms.Grey?"

Confirming a time and place, Marceline hangs up and greets the customer who just walked in, a young man with a school bag and the beginnings of his fae wings growing in. Taking a deep breath, Marceline went and greeted the customer. After a bit of walking around Marceline finally helped him settle on a gift for his mother, An old wooden music box that plays an enchanting tune with the design of a lily flower on it. A long day of few customers follow, mainly old men coming in to buy flowers for their wives. Closing at the same time that she has for 3 years, Marceline locks the doors at exactly 10:30 pm and starts her short walk home. Stopping on the way to get Chinese takeout from the place on Lily street, she runs into a strange group of people rather literally.

"Holy shit I'm sorry!" One of the taller ones, the one that Marceline bumped into turned around and looked down at her. Dusting his wings off, he laughs and assures her that it's fine. His companions also turn around to greet Marceline

"I'm Zephyr Lyre" The one she bumped into introduces himself, then his friends.

"That's Rowan Arrowood" He points to a gorgeous woman with rich brown skin and amazing purple eyes who nearly towers over Marceline

"Melody Locke" A pale girl with black and Radioactive blue hair speaks for herself, waving with her free hand and messing with the camera she has hanging around her neck in her other hand.

"Alrighty uh, that's Lux Blair" He points to another faerie dressed in a skirt and an oversized sweater with the softest pink hair accompanied by a flower crown on his head.

"Zane Umber" Another faerie chimes in, brushing his deep purple hair out of his eyes, which are a captivating shade of amber. Taking in everything, Marceline introduces herself to the group and even pays for their food on top of hers. Everyone gathered around to give her their phone numbers and the group left. Grabbing her food from the worker Marceline continues walking home. Sitting down on her bed after a long day felt like the biggest relief in the world. Then her phone rings.

"This better not be the fucking detective" Marceline groans, picking her phone off the end of the bed. It was not the detective but rather the group of people from the Takeout shop adding her to a group chat. Shooting a quick hi to the chat, she turns her screen off and digs into the mushroom chicken and noodles she ordered. Finishing her food, Marceline debates on going back to the portal and trying to get through. It's not too obvious what race she is, since she doesn't have fangs or wings. She's just a meer witch in a small town on the outskirts of the Clatsop state forest. She's never been outside of Vernonia and hasn't yet succeeded in making it to the human world, where the world is the same but... it's all humans. No one except people who work for the government come into contact with the human race, as to keep the peace and regulate the magickal activity. Looking at the clock which reads 12:32 am, Marceline decides against it, since Jackson River is now riding her ass about last time. She wonders aloud how they even found out about last time. Did they install cameras in the surrounding trees? Corrupt faeries? There are a few possibilities that could explain what happened. Whatever way they may have found out, Marceline wasn't going to let it happen again. But that doesn't mean she won't do it again, instead, extra measures will be taken. Her phone dinging snaps her out of her thoughts. Checking her notifications, It's a text from Zephyr asking her if she wants to come with the group to lunch tomorrow.

"That would be awesome. I don't have any friends here besides my sister really, and technically she's my roommate." Marceline types back a quick reply saying that she'd love to, she sets her phone on the charger and turns her lamp off. Settling into the sheets she's met with the thought of lunch tomorrow. As scary as Zephyr looks, he seems like a pretty decent guy. In fact, He seems sweeter than he looks. Drifting off to sleep with the faint scent of Zephyr Lyre in her head, Marceline dreams of the human world once more.

Waking up early has never been Marceline's thing, in fact, she hates it. But, every morning she wakes up at 7 so she can go on a run and get breakfast. Turning her alarm off, Marceline rolls out of bed and throws on sweats and a tank top. Wrestling her light pink hair into a ponytail and grabbing her earbuds, Marceline heads out of the door and into the morning mist of August 10th. A sweaty hour later, Marceline hits the shower and cooks up some eggs and toast. While enjoying her breakfast, she gets a call from Detective River.

"Hello Mr.River, how can I help you?" Marceline rolls her eyes and puts on her best customer service voice.

"Marceline, wonderful. Can you stop by the offices today? We need you to sign some paperwork for the case."

Groaning internally Marceline tells Jackson that she can swing by and pick up the paperwork, but she has work and plans. Smiling to herself she hangs up the phone on him and heads back into her room to change into a nice white pleated skirt and a black shirt with a dark-haired anime character on it. Grabbing a pair of sneakers out of her closet as well, she dresses and sprays a vaguely musky cologne over her body. On the way to The Last Spell, her shop, she runs into Zane Umber, one of the guys from the day before. For safety, he accompanies her to The Last Spell.

"I'm really sorry about the other day, I really didn't mean to bump into you guys. I've been dealing with some stuff really suddenly these last couple of days."

Taking a drink of the energy drink in his hand, Zane laughs. "It's fine Marceline. Really. Now I gotta get to the bakery and help Melody, i'll see you at lunch with the rest of the gang." Patting her arm, Zane walks off, hand in a pocket and the other holding his energy drink, as per usual.

Unlocking the door Marceline lets herself into The Last Spell and takes a bit to rearrange the shop and put out new inventory from the local artists and suppliers. At 9:30 am, she flips the closed sign to the open sign and sits behind the counter. With a handful of customers in the 2 twos between opening and lunchtime, Marceline checks her phone while clocking out. Zephyr texted her the address for a sandwich shop where they are all meeting. Grabbing her bag and putting up the lunch sign, She walks 15 minutes from the shop to 'A Sub Above' a Sandwich and Salad restaurant. Rowan waves her over to a largely crowded table. Sitting down in between Zephyr and Zane, Marceline gives her order to the waiter that has approached the table. After getting to know everyone a little better, She explains her situation with Jackson River to the group. Surprisingly, they are quite thrilled to know that she tries to get into the human world too.

"That's how we all met, Marcy. One night we all showed up at the portal and decided to hang out there together. it was better than being alone ya know? and a few years later we are quite the unlikely group of best friends." Rowan explains, gesturing to Melody who holds up her camera.

"I took a picture of them all to remember and sent copies. I figured it was useless to be in the picture myself since I wouldn't show up." She smiles, showing two pearly white fangs.

"Well, maybe another picture is in order, to maybe welcome Marceline here to the group? that is if she isn't already sick of us ahaha'' Zane jokes, gently hitting Marceline's back with one of his wings. Marceline laughs, telling them that she'd love to be a part of the group. Although they'd have to put up with her stick-in-the-ass sister if they came over to her place. The table laughs and tells her it'll be fun. So after lunch, Melody sets them up for a picture outside of The Last Spell. Marceline and Zephyr in the middle, Zane and Rowan on the right side by Marceline, Lux on the side by Zephyr. Taking the picture, Melody promises to send copies and rushes off back to the bakery with Zane walking shortly behind her. Lux, Zephyr, and Rowan stayed behind to help her with the shop. Showing them the ropes, Rowan learning faster being a witch herself. While lux takes down the lunch sign, Marceline watches Zephyr arrange flowers with great interest. She wonders how warm his wings are, quickly chastising herself from thinking about that kind of thing. She barely knows him and she's already wondering what it would be like to be held in his  _ wings? _ Marceline does not easily sleep with some dude she barely knows. But...it's not sex shes imagining. Just..romance. She shakes her head to clear her thoughts. What's getting into her all of a sudden? She replaces the cap on a bottle of Ylang-ylang oil and puts it on the shelf, Going to help Lux and Rowan with the candle labeling. Zephyr watches her work with the same intensity.

Jackson River sits at his desk and shuffles through unfilled out paperwork. He comes across Marceline Grey's file and sighs as he realizes that they have no solid evidence and exactly zero proof that she was there. A knock on his door makes him put up an act of cheeriness.

"Come in" He yells in the general direction of the door, in which his supervisor enters.

"We have information on Marceline Grey and Her Sister Lilith Grey."


	2. Daddy Dearest and Mommy Sweetest

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jackson River may be a detective, but that doesn't mean he's a complete hardass.

**_8/10/2020_ **

Zephyr Lyre has never been one for relationships. Not since high school anyways. He's more of a stay single type of guy, someone who prefers friends rather than someone to share a bed with. That day when he met Marceline, he felt a little different. Looking down on her he couldn't quite ignore her cutesy demeanor, which reminded him a little bit of Lux. He got this impression from her, that she doesn't get out a lot, or doesn't talk to a lot of people from the way her eyes teared up while apologizing. It seemed as if she thought Zephyr was going to yell at her. It's stuck in his mind to the present moment as he stuffs a lily carefully into a vase. Watching her carefully and slowly lay a sticker label on a candle jar, Zephyr smiles. He admires how much love and care she puts into what she does and how connected she becomes with her customers.

As if on cue, a younger boy in his mid-teens comes into the shop. Marceline greets him with an automatic response to the door chime. Upon looking up from her candle, She yelps in surprise and runs over to the kid. Picking him up in a tight hug she spins him around which the kid enjoys immensely. Dusting off the horns that curled atop his head like a halo, Harper pushes him to the register of the shop.

"Guys, this is Erin. He's a hybrid. I found him on the street outside the night this shop opened." The kid unfurls a pair of jet black wings that look like Zane's. All at once Zephyr, Lux, and Rowan all let out an unintentional gasp. Looking at Marceline for guidance, Erin speaks up.

"Hey everyone," his voice is quiet and rough. "I'm Erin.." Erin's wings shake a little, eyes pleading for help as the three stares at him. Marceline assures them that he isn't dangerous and that she registered him in the system and fudged the paperwork. She talks about how most nights he stays with her and her sister, but lately, he's been spending all his time working. Lux is surprisingly the first one to make any sort of move. Coming up to Erin, Lux taps one of his wings to one of Erin's.

"I'm Lux. It's a pleasure to meet you, Erin. If you need anything, Marcy has my phone number so just ask her if you need it." Going back to the candle station, Lux picks back up where he left off with the labeling. Rowan and Zephyr introduce themselves and Erin slowly becomes more comfortable. Time flies by and sooner than they think, it's time to close the store. One group hug later and a lingering stare from Zephyr, it's just Erin and Marceline in the shop.

"Marceline?" Erin grabs Marceline's arm and tugs on her sweater sleeve. Turning back and smiling, Marceline brushes some hair out of his eyes and asks him what's up.

"Those people liked me right? They seemed almost scared of me at first." Pulling him into a hug Marceline assures him that everything was okay.

"They loved you. They just haven't met a hybrid before. Come on, let's get home." Grabbing his hand and turning off the lights, They close the shop and walk home in the dark. On the way, they see a group of fireflies and wish on them. Marceline wishes for what she has wished for since she was a little girl, for a happy family. Erin wishes to find his parents, or find a family. After making dinner and watching some anime, the two say their goodnights and go into their own rooms for the remainder of the night.

Zephyr shakes the water from his hair as he steps out of the shower. Wrapping a towel around his hips and grabbing a hairbrush from the container on the back of the toilet Zephyr heads into his room. One pair of fleece pajama pants later, He tackles his hair with the hairbrush and digs into a bowl of cereal. As if it were a canvas, Zephyr stares at a wall remembering how close Marceline and Erin were. They looked as if they've been through a lot together. Marceline never said when she opened The Last Spell but it seems like she's been there for a while with him. They seemed like family, and she had the proud mom look in her eyes when she watched him socialize with Zephyr and the others. Zephyr also noticed how apprehensive and scared Erin was to meet the group until Lux stepped forward. Lux has this way with people that's almost indescribable. It's as if he emits a relaxing pulse of energy wherever he goes. Shaking his head, Zephyr looks down at his cereal and realizes he finished it, and a while ago by the looks of the scarce milk. Putting his bowl and spoon in the sink he flops on to his bed and passes out almost instantaneously.

A small stack of papers sits on Jackson River's desk, next to the analog clock which mocks him, the red numbers displaying 2:04 AM.

"These are all of the records on the Grey women. Including an interesting bit of paperwork from three years ago." Hours have passed since his boss dropped these papers off. Shuffling through the papers, he finds two birth certificates, one for Marceline and one for Lilith. Then under those is a 3-page packet of adoption papers from the system of an "Erin Fox" under the guardianship of Marceline Grey. This struck his interest. Pulling the packet out of the stack he goes through it thoroughly. Kid's 15, no parents in sight. According to this statement from Grey, She picked him up outside her store on the night of the opening. He was only 12 when this all happened. Doesn't say what he is to her now, just that she's his guardian. She doesn't even list another person on her. No husband, no boyfriend, nothing. Jackson sets the paperwork down carefully and picks up the next packet of paper under it, the details of her purchase of the building her shop is in. How much rent she pays, when she bought it, the address of it. He writes the address down on a sticky note and shoves it in the back pocket of his jeans. Lucky for her, the interview is scheduled for tomorrow which means she can fill it out at the station. Grabbing his coat and the rest of the papers, Jackson leaves the offices and shuts down the station. Always the last one to leave, River never goes home with the rest of his co-workers. When he was younger he always wanted to be a detective. He watched countless shows with detectives and read thousands of books. When he was 20, he got a job at the local police department and worked his ass off. 12 years later, he still hasn't given that energy up and swore to never stop working. Opening the door to his quiet house, he throws his keys on the table and shuts the door quietly avoiding waking up his 6-year-old. Creeping up the stairs he peeks in her room to make sure she's okay, he remembers the day his wife died. She didn't leave her room for a week, constantly crying out for mommy. Jackson's heart squeezes and he shuts the door again. Easing into bed and turning off his bedside lamp, he falls into a restless sleep. All at once, the world is quiet.

**_8/11/2020_ **

"Lilith is gonna stay here with you today, I've got some shit to take care of with a particularly annoying detective." Groaning, Marceline finishes tying the laces on her hightops and ruffles Erin's hair. "I'll be back soon kid, be good." Marceline locks the door behind her as she steps out into the warm air of August. The summer has always been her favorite part of the year. Swimming in the lake, running through the sprinklers, drinking water at 2am after a hard sleep and it feels like gold in her throat. Laughing at her inner-selves thoughts, Marceline makes her way to the Police station for her stupid interview with stupid Jackson River and his stupid reports. While waiting for River to finish with an  _ actual  _ criminal Marceline strikes up a conversation with the chief of police, a polite demon man with gorgeous ivory horns. He told her about all the trouble Jackson got into when he first started, and how all the women in the station crowded around his daughter when she was a newborn. Just as Chief Narcoss was about to talk about the funeral they held for Jackson's wife, who was the chief before Narcoss when a female detective came to escort Marceline into Jackson's office.

"Look who decided to turn up after all." Sitting down with a cocky smile, River slides the paperwork across the desk to her. Watching her fill it out was interesting. Marceline Grey is definitely an interesting woman. She explained how she was busy all day and couldn't make it down.

"Right, Right." Closing the blinds on the only window in his office, Jackson begins to question Marceline.

" **What do you do for a living?** "

"I run a shop."

" **What kind of shop?** "

"A pagan medicinal shop that also sells flowers."

" **Is that why you were at the portal?** "

"I never was at the portal. I stay away from it."

" **Right, Right.** "

An hour of questioning later, He watches Marceline leave his office. Poking his finger on one of his fangs, Jackson looks over her paperwork. Despite the system, she lists no children. Shaking his head and lighting a half-smoked cigarette Jackson takes a drag and walks out to go get lunch at a nearby pub. He's known the owners of The Stars Tavern since he was a fledgling vampire. Ordering his usual from the barkeeper which is a burger with two patties, 2 slices of cheese, pickles, ketchup, mustard, and lettuce. He drops by his house to have lunch with his daughter Lucinda. Emptying the bag, he places a plain cheeseburger and an order of fries in front of Lucinda and sits down in the chair next to her. Jackson spends as much time with her as possible, and she understands that her father can't always be around because of work.

"Daddy how was your day?" Lucinda asks, promptly taking a bite of her burger. "It was wonderful sweetie. But you know I have to go back to work. I should be home before Hope leaves for the night this time." Hope is the Nanny that Jackson hired to take care of Lucinda when her mom died and he couldn't be home. It was supposed to be temporary but they ended up growing a bond. So, it became more permanent. For 3 years now Hope has stayed at the house from 2pm to 11pm every day. Ruffling Lucinda's hair, Jackson finishes his burger and says goodbye. The hardest part of his day has just ended.


	3. Feathered Worry

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Erin has a rough time opening up to people, since being abandoned. Marceline was the first person to show him love in years and that's left him feeling weary as if she isn't being truthful. Sometimes getting out of the house and into the fresh air can really help a person clear his head. However, the anxiety doesn't stop when Erin has to continuously cover up his hybrid features.

**_8/13/2020_ **

Wrapping a ribbon around a bouquet of sunflowers, pink tulips, and orange lilies, Marceline fulfills her last order for the day. It's near closing time and there haven't been customers for hours. The moon shines a bright light into the shop windows, conveniently charging the crystals that sit in the window displays. Sitting atop the counter, Marceline checks her phone for texts. Surprisingly there is a message from Rowan, asking if Marceline had a room at her place for her to crash. Texting back a probably too long 'Of course I have room! Come by the shop now and I'll close up early' reply, She starts shutting down the shop and making sure the fridges for the flowers are working properly. Around 10 minutes later Rowan comes around the corner and jogs up to Marceline.

"Hey. Sorry, that took a bit, I couldn't get away from my roommate." Rubbing her arms in the chilly summer wind Rowan gestures for Marceline to lead the way to her apartment. On the short walk to the apartment complex, Rowan explains that her roommate's boyfriend has been treating her like shit and her roommate isn't doing anything about it. "That's why I'm walking away for a while. Is Erin there?" Rowan looks up at the windows.

"Yeah, he is. Probably asleep though. Come on, let's get you inside." Letting them into the apartment, Lilith calls Erin out from his room where he sat on his bed drawing. Running into Marceline's arms, Erin gave her a hug and waved at Rowan. Pulling his phone out of his pocket, Erin shows Rowan a drawing he did of a random character that resembles her quite closely. The date at the bottom of the page shows that it was made over a month ago, so it was pure coincidence. Smiling meekly, he puts his phone back in his pocket.

"I know we met at the shop a few days ago, but I guess I was too intimidated to say much. Uh, I'm Erin. Nice to meet you." Nervously Erin holds out his hand offering Rowan a friendly handshake. Returning it, Rowan smiles.

"I'm Rowan. Nice to meet you too Erin." Tussling the kid's hair, Marceline tells Erin to go do something while she gets Rowan settled in. Showing Rowan to the spare bedroom, Marceline tells her that if she needs anything, her room is right across the hallway and Lilith is on the other side of the wall. After bringing a spare standing fan into the room Marceline sits down on the couch and slips out of her boots. Sinking into the back cushion she rubs her eyes and groans quietly. Work has been quiet lately as it normally is in august since there really isn't anything going on this month. Its just a few moon phases and a holiday on the first. Everything picks up in September which leaves a different kind of stress when Marceline is rarely around. Checking her bank account on her phone, Marceline sinks further into the couch. Walking into the living room with a cup of the strongest coffee in the area at 10:20 pm Lilith sits down next to her younger sister and rubs her arm.

"Its gonna be fine Marcy. Everything always works out, Yeah? We've always made it work." Lilith assures her. Lilith is a Wood Nymph and by nature, the family favorite. Beautiful Lilith with her natural copper hair and her natural brown eyes. Everything was about her from the beginning even before Marceline was a bigger disappointment in her parent's eyes. She wonders if they are going to be able to buy Erin new clothes before school starts in the fall, or buy him the supplies he needs. Marceline would be fine with eating under-a-dollar ramen for a bit if it meant he was happy. She lays her head on Liliths lap and exhales loudly.

"I'm just worried about Erin. I want him to be happy, you know? He's helped me a lot over these three years and I want to give back to him. I should be able to spoil him. But the shop is so seasonal that I just can't right now. I love him like he's my own kid and I don't know how to even be a mom. I'm only twenty-two and he's fifteen. I haven't even told him I want to be his mom. There's no other parent for him either, and..." Marceline sighs. Running her hands over her face, she stares up at the ceiling.

In the other room, Rowan sits on the unusually comfortable bed and wonders about Marceline. Her soft pink hair in cute festival braids, the soft and fun colorful makeup she wears...It's only been a few days since she met her but it really messed with Rowan. Putting on a satin hair bonnet she stuffed into her bag at last minute, Rowan climbs into bed and sleeps peacefully in a house she's never been in, hoping that maybe one day she'll live here too. Dreaming of starry night dates and flower fields of Coreopses. Not too many miles away, Zephyr thinks about Marceline as well. The day she bumped into him, going to lunch, working at her store. it seemed so perfect. But something felt off. When she told them about the case with Jackson River she seemed more stressed than someone whos in a bit of trouble for being curious. That kid, he wonders, maybe its that kid. She looked so happy and full of joy with him around. It was like looking at a mother and her son. They just lit up the room together like stars in a bottle. but..they rarely saw anyone in the shop. Is that normal? Zephyr tosses and turns in his bed. Looking at the empty space beside him he wonders about what it would be like if she were next to him. He thought about taking Erin to the mall, or the park while Marceline was at work. Having dinner with both of them. Celebrating holidays as a family...It was the perfect fantasy. Until he remembered that he was only twenty-one and has no idea how to be a dad or even how to be a husband. Groaning into his pillow, Zephyr sits up and grabs a sweater from the pile on the floor. Climbing onto the roof of his apartment, Zephyr lays there and looks at the stars. A stray cat comes and lays at his side, a cat he named Astral. A few rooftops away, Lilith and Marceline look at the stars as well. Gazing into the starry night, none of them get any sleep that night but instead watch the sunrise together unknowingly.

**_8/14/2020_ **

Climbing off their roofs, they all start their day once more even though it did not end. Brewing another cup of coffee for herself and one for Marceline, Lilith shoots a text to her boss asking if there is any overtime she can work at the office. Now scheduled to work on Saturdays in addition to her full work week, she gets ready for work. Saying goodbye to her sister once more this week, unaware of the arrangement Lilith made with her boss, Marceline makes breakfast for herself and the still sleeping Erin and Rowan. The smell of eggs and fresh muffins bring both out of their rooms and to the dining table. Sitting down at the table and serving the other two, Marceline bids a good morning to everyone and scoops her hair up into a loose ponytail. Talking about their dreams under a handmade dream catcher, the day is filled with magic and promise. Lighting a candle with the touch of her finger, Marceline smiles at Erin who never stopped finding it to be awesome. With the sun fairly high in the sky, Marceline hugs Erin tightly and gives Rowan a slightly less aggressive hug, Marceline walks to work and runs into Melody and Zane on the way. They tell her that it's both their day off and wanted to accompany her to her shop since they missed out the first time. So letting the three of them into the shop, the day of work begins. Back at the apartment, Rowan and Erin are awkwardly hanging out. Erin eventually retreats into his room where he lays face down on his bed with his earbuds in, listening to witchy lofi compilations. Throwing on a flannel and lacing up his rollerskates, Erin waves to Rowan and clunks down the stone stairs, and skates away into the shopping district. Finding himself at the mall, he changes his skates out for hightops and stuffs the skates into his backpack. Immediately speeding into the hot topic on the second floor, He finds comfort in the jewelry section. Grabbing a couple of new bracelets, a set of earrings, and a set of lip rings despite not having his lips pierced yet. Paying in cash from working for people in the neighborhood. Glancing at the piercing shop on the bottom floor he sighs. Just a few more years until he can get them done, that's all. He never expressed the want to get them done to Marceline or even Lilith but he figured they'd just tell him no anyway. Who knows, they might take him. He decides he'll bring it up later to the two of them. Fixing his hood so that his horns are still perfectly hidden, he continues to walk around the upper floor of the mall and stops into an otaku shop. Stopping to admire the figurines, Erin cringes at the prices and walks out. After buying something to eat, Erin grabs a table in the food court and works on some drawings in his sketchbook. A few hours later and a few smoothies later, He swaps back into his skates and heads to the shop for the last hour of it being open. The scent of cinnamon apple candles wafts out from the open door of The Last Spell. It must have been Marceline's idea to put the fall scents out early this year since it's been kind of a cold summer so far. Looking into the shop, He saw two faces he'd never seen before laughing with Marceline. Waving to her from the doorway, he skates away rather than interrupting the fun. Instead, he skates down the path to the cherry grove where mysterious purple cherry trees grow and the flowers are a lovely cyan color. Talking to the birds and nurturing the plants helps him stay grounded and remember that he isn't a monster, no matter what the mirror says.

Marceline waves back to Erin and watches him skate away for a sec before returning to her and Zane's argument with Melody about how early Halloween stuff can be set out while Marceline clutches a small pumpkin plush she wanted to put out. The shop is quiet and empty, all except for the three workers and the Raven that Marceline domesticated last year to be the shop's mascot. The atmosphere is rather bleak despite the sun shining gracefully while warming the sidewalk and all who walk on it.

"Marcy, It's still early august! It's not even September!" Melody pleads, shaking Marceline's shoulders gently trying to make her see her reasoning, Zane however presents that Halloween shouldn't be confined to a specific time of year because people wear costumes and eat candy all year. Glaring at her best friend, Melody scolds him for pulling out the sugar fiend cosplayer card. Falling into a fit of laughter, Melody pulls both Zane and Marceline into a hug and puts the plush pumpkin at the register, sighing deeply. The sounds of an 8-bit ringtone play from Melody's phone as she explains that it's her boyfriend calling. Stepping out of the shop and leaving Marceline and Zane alone.

"So Hellflower, tired of us yet?" Side hugging Marceline and squeezing her shoulders much like a big brother would, Zane teases her about the chaos of the group. Laughing, Marceline sighs and tells him that she feels right at home. 


	4. HellFlowers

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Zane isnt one to keep things to himself, especially when it comes to the people that he thinks of as...close to family. And his little brother.

**_8/22/2020_ **

As his offensively loud alarm goes off at a dreadful 7:30 am Zane sits up in bed and groans. Grabbing his phone off the rather tall nightstand he stands up and heads to the kitchen to grab a bowl of cereal, nodding good morning to Melody. While eating, Zane texts Marceline. 

“Good Morning hellflower, hope you got some good sleep. Say hi to the kid for me.” setting his phone down, he remembers the night before. After he left The Last Spell, Zane went to his boyfriend's house to have a late dinner date. It was a nice classy steak dinner, salad and all. After dinner and a few drinks, Zane figured he should go home instead of taking his boyfriend's offer of staying over since he had stuff to do today. As he ponders about today's agenda Zane puts the bowl in the sink and leans against the counter where Melody is preparing her own breakfast of tomato soup and a store brand blood bag.

“You know Zane, I was thinking while you were gone last night that maybe Marceline may be good for Zephyr. He seems quite a bit more lively than he used to now that she's around.” Melody shrugs, dropping some oregano into her soup. Zane scoffs and shakes his wings. 

“Pfft, Zephyr and Marceline? Come on. Marce has a kid and her sister. Rowans also been staying with her for the past week. She seems way too busy for a relationship Mels. Besides, I'm not letting that kid anywhere near her, not with his relationship history. I love Zephyr like he's my own brother, but I'm not letting him hurt her” Zane laughs airily. Planting a quick brotherly kiss on her forehead, Zane walks away and hops in the shower. He thinks about how Zephyr was looking at Marceline that day outside of the shop. He couldn't quite place why he felt protective of her. Figuring it just had something to do with him never really having a sister, Zane leaned against the shower wall. Rubbing his temples, he finishes his shower with a headache and throws some simple warm clothes on to mark the near end of a cold august. Grabbing an energy drink from the fridge and walking out the door, Zane sighs as he sees Lux sitting at the bottom of the stairs that lead up to his apartment. Jogging down the stairs Zane places a hand on Lux’s shoulder.

“Oh hey, Zane.” Lux looks up and smiles, brushing his shaggy hair out of his face. “I was just waiting for you to get up. I need to stop by the bakery and check on the progress of those cupcakes for the Lightflower wedding so that I know how fast I need to finish the banquets.” Sighing, Zane pulls his little brother into a quick hug, almost immediately pulling away and brushing himself off. Clearing his throat, Lux starts walking to her car and tells Zane to hop in the passenger's side. It's a quick drive to the bakery, granted that Zane normally walks to work. Taking a look into the fridges in the back, Lux counts 12 dozen cupcakes. This slightly stresses her out, as she's only completed 7 banquets of a required 25. Looking at his brother frowning, Zane places a hand on Lux’s back. 

“It’ll be fine kiddo, maybe you can get Rowan to help you, or maybe even Marceline's kid. I'm sure she’d lend you the brat for a day for some extra help.” Looking up at the ceiling, Zane reassures the nervous florist and walks over to the staff fridge, grabbing a dud cupcake for the two of them each. Handing a strawberry iced sweet to Lux, Zane takes a bite of his own. “You know, I'm not gonna say I'm glad we immediately picked up Marce into our group, but I like having her around. She's like the older sister I've never had, like melody.” Lux looks over at him with a puzzled look, mouth half full with the cupcake. 

“I like Marceline,” Lux says after swallowing the cupcake in their mouth. “She's cool. Reminds me a lot of Zephyr in ways.” 

“Ugh, now you sound like mels. She was telling me this morning that maybe Zephyr needs Marceline or whatever. That she’d be good for him. I can't imagine how fast that would go to his head if he heard that. Not after the way he was looking at her that day we all went to lunch.” Lux chokes on another bite of cupcake and smiles sheepishly. Explaining that when He and the others were helping at The Last Spell, those two couldn't keep their eyes off each other. Except when Erin came in. “Erin?” Zane puzzles, quickly recovering, and realizes that's the brat's name. Suddenly, Zane's phone rings with an unknown number. Picking it up and answering, He asks who's calling. 

“Jackson River, Department of  fantasy law enforcement. Is this Zane Umber?” Rolling his eyes and laughing quietly to himself, Zane walks into the backroom of the bakery. 

“Yeah, That's me. How may I help you,  _ Detective River? _ ” 

“I noticed you and your buddies have been hanging out with a woman named Marceline Grey. Could you and your brother come in for some questioning today?” Startled, Zane stutters his answer, that they would stop by tomorrow after work, and quickly hangs up. Grabbing his coat that he tosses on the table upon arriving, he grabs lux by the hand and drags him out of the store, locking up.

“Zane, what the hell? Are you okay?” Explaining that somehow, River has someone or something watching Marceline and knows they’ve been around here a lot. Shooting Marceline a text, he quickly acquired the witch's address and for the first time in years, he and his brother soar quickly through the sky, arriving in no less than five minutes to the apartment door. Feeling a familiar presence outside, Rowan opens the door to Zane and Lux who quickly maneuver around her, only to find the entire group other than those two had already arrived. Seeing Zane and Lux’s puzzled faces, Melody explains that she and Zephyr also got a call. Zane spots Marceline by the sink and nearly knocks over Zephyr getting to her. Bending down to look at Marceline who's facing the floor, Zane makes sure that she's okay, and everyone can sense the protective brother instincts radiating off of him like bad perfume. Nodding, Marceline takes a deep breath and almost collapses into Zane as she cries with a silent, stressed sob. Erin comes out of his room and peeks around the corner, seeing his mom crying into Zane’s shoulder. Everyone besides the two turned around to see Erin looking at his mother with a confused expression. Sensing her baby, Marceline sniffled, and looked up, and smiled at Erin, motioning for him to come over. Zane shuffled over to make room for Erin, as Marceline pulled her son in close to her, stroking his hair and assuring him that she's okay, just a little overwhelmed. Everyone who was standing in the doorway comes and sits around the three in almost a protective circle stopping anything bad from happening. Then, Erin turns to Zane and smiles. 

“Hey, kid. Uh, I'm Zane. Lux’s brother.” Zane smiles sheepishly at the kid, clearing his throat. Nodding at Zane, Erin pulls away from Marceline and wipes the tears from her eyes. Suddenly, Zephyr stands up and pulls Zane away from the group for a second. 

“Hey this might be the wrong time to ask this, but do you think I'd have a shot with Marceline? I see her and Erin and I can see myself taking care of them for the rest of my life and I want to...i want to help them through this.” Zephyr gripped Zane's shoulder like it was a dumbbell. Looking back at Marce, Erin, and even who Zane assumed was Lilith, Marce’s sister, Zane laughed quietly and shook his head. Pushing Zephyr off of him with a forceful wing, Zane snapped. 

“Really Lyre!? You’re gonna be like that right now? When she's literally crying on her kitchen floor with her son? I was right. You won't ever change. You said that about Ophelia and her kid. You just want to be able to fuck over another fucking family.” Looking behind her, Melody rushed into the hallway where she heard her best friend's hushed whip of a tongue. 

“What the fuck is going on back here?” Melody sighed. Explaining how Zephyr was being an insensitive fuckboy, Zane walked back into the kitchen, re-assuming his spot next to Marceline. While melody dealt with Zephyr, Rowan made Marceline a cup of tea to soothe her throat. Erin moves to sit next to Zane, to give his mom a bit of space. Peeking into the hallway where Melody is practically ripping and putting back together Zephyr. Marceline takes a drink of the fresh hot tea and looks up, noticing the two missing people. She looks at Zane and he (begrudgingly) lies, telling her that they are just talking about how to get River off of everyone's ass. Then, something that startles everyone happens. Erin’s phone goes off with a loud anime theme song. Fumbling his phone out of his jeans, Erin sighs with relief and informs everyone that it's just someone from school, stepping out of the room with a “Hello? Hi Seraphina.” Erin smiles. Seraphina is one of his only friends that's his age. They bonded over the fact that they are both orphans. “Yeah sure, let me check in with Marceline”. Erin peeked around the corner and looked at his mom, mouthing ‘can one of my friends come over? She has nowhere to go tonight.’ Nodding back at him, Marceline flashed a thumbs up. “Yeah, okay. Come on over. I'll text you my address. Cya soon Seph”

Zane asks to speak to Marceline in private, leading her into her own bedroom and sitting on the bed with her. She asks what's up, and if everything's okay. Zane sighs and leans forward, looking into his own lap. He asks what she thinks of zephyr so far, recalling the earlier conversation to himself. Taken aback, Marceline takes a second to answer. 

“Well. So far he’s been nice to me. And Erin of course. I think he’s pretty cool? Why?” Zane smiles. Explaining that he isn't one to sugar coat things. He told her about the ‘fight’ he had with Zephyr, and about how Zephyr is interested in her. Marceline laughs quietly to herself and sighs. She tells Zane that she doesn't know how to respond. Then, Someone knocks on the door. It's Zephyr, wondering where they went. Clearly not trusting Zane to be alone with the woman he’s interested in. Lux is also behind him, asking Marceline if it's okay for him and Zane to stay over for Marceline's safety and his own peace of Mind. Telling Lux that it's fine with her, Marceline stares at Zephyr with a blank face. The aforementioned creature looks at her and then to Zane who has a small smirk plastered on his face. Zane stands up and pats him roughly on the shoulder as he leaves the room to go talk to Melody and Rowan.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the short chapter, i just wanted to get it out there. -atlas <33


	5. Gifts under the tree (NONCANON SPECIAL)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Happy Holidays everyone! I wrote this Christmas chapter for fun and decided to publish it! This is not canon whatsoever but if you would like to imagine it as so, feel free to!

Marceline sat down on the floor next to Erin, a mug of espresso hot chocolate in her hand. She looks over at the others, Melody holding the new cat that Zane got her for Christmas which she dutifully named Princess bubblegum from Adventure time so that the cat and marceline have themed names. Melody found it quite amusing when Marcy talked to PB in her best Marceline the vampire impression. She looked at Zephyr, Who was watching Seraphina talk to Rowan about the witch tools that Rowan handmade and selected for her. It was such a lively atmosphere. So full of love and promise. It truly felt like home. Zane came up behind Marceline who was smiling at her friends. She looked at him and smiled harder. He looked at her and smiled back, planting a kiss on his girlfriend's forehead. He had come out decidedly as bisexual in September and he confided in Melody about how deep his feelings for marceline had actually gotten over the past year and a somewhat of a half. Melody advised that he just tell her how he feels and get it on the table. Rather unsurprisingly she immediately told him that there was no difference in her feelings for him, and they became partners the same night. Now looking over at Erin once again, Marceline handed him a flat and rectangular present and squeezed his hand. 

“Open it, Erin. I think you will really like this present. I saved it for last.” She winks playfully and nudges him to open it. Excitedly he did and inside was a red box with his name scrawled in silver pen, almost unrecognizable handwriting which was undoubtedly Marceline’s. Shaking the top off the box, the bottom fell into his lap. Inside was a stack of papers. Picking them up out of the box Erin read them carefully and began to cry. Marceline also started crying. Talking her now 16-year-old son in her arms with Zane grinning like the sly bastard he is and always has been. In the box were adoption papers. Official paperwork saying that Erin Fox was now Marceline Grey’s son. She left it up to him to decide if he wanted to change his last name to be Grey which again to no surprise he did eventually change it. Over the years he even took to calling Zane his dad.

Marceline stood up with her family and walked over to the others. Placing a hand on Zephyr's shoulder, Zane smiled. Together they watched Marceline, the love of both of their lives in different ways with the rest of her family. She was laughing and hugging the girls who were all teary-eyed. Melody had found love finally, another vampire by the name of Noah who little did Melody know was proposing on New Year's eve. Looking ahead she would say yes and spend a lovely eternity with him and their two daughters Victoria and Ophelia. Rowan was single still and would stay that way for a while. She was in no hurry to find a girlfriend and was definitely not rushing to get married or settle down. She enjoyed traveling the world with her roommate Lilac and their dog Muffy.

Zephyr was still a little bent on the fact that Marceline chose Zane over him but he couldn't blame her one bit. He wasn't exactly great and could be extremely insensitive. But he loved her nonetheless and settled for being her friend. The friend zone maybe ass, but not having her in his life was more ass than the Kardashians had (or so he’s heard from Seraphina). Zane smiled at his partner and looked at Zephyr.

“She’s great, isn't she? Everyone really loves her. She’s gonna make an amazing mom. She already is.” Marceline pulls Erin to the side and hands him a small box. What was inside only they knew, and nobody else would ever know. It was the best Christmas they had all ever had. They would remember it until they died, or in Melody’s case, forever. Long after everyone was gone for the night, Marceline and Zane settled onto the couch after saying goodnight to Erin and a recently rescued Seraphina. They talked about what they got for Christmas, and what everyone else got. They watched the fire crackle and pop in the fireplace. They spent the night in each other's company and peacefully fell asleep long after the stars came out. It was the perfect Christmas and it would only get better from there. Outside darkness rolled in like thick fog and pounded on their windows. Fear and stress tried to seep through the cracks and holes but the warm and magical atmosphere kept it away like a bad headache. Tonight they were safe and their worries melted away like marshmallows. 

HAPPY HOLIDAYS!


End file.
